In response to review, noname111 says ...

Thanks for writing the review. I agree with you that the ports are a shopping mega. But outside the ports is just beautiful. We get out of town. Most of the time we just find a hike to go on.

I was also on the same cruise the Solstice on May 8th and it was my first cruise as well. I agree with you on a few things, the staff was friendly and the food was good. The room we had, a balcony room on deck 10 was perfectly ok for us and had plenty of space. I did think the buffet was a bit chaotic but over all we were happy with our first cruise. Most of the folks we met on board were very nice people. I am sorry your experience was not what you thought it should be. Maybe next time will be better if you choose to cruise again. Best wishes

If you felt the bath and cabin were small on the Solstice good thing you did not go on some of the old ships that had 119 sq ft interior cabins. Yes Alaska is expensive to do excursions and most of the close in shopping is tourist traps for t-shirts, but that is true of just about every major port.

I can suggest on your next cruise to book a suite if you need more room. The booking sight I use shows the ship floor plans and tells you how large the different cabin types are.

Best wishes that your next cruise will be all you want it to be.

Sorry to read that the cruise did not live up to your expectations. I hope that your next cruise goes smoother for you.